48 ANIMAL LIFE UNDER WATER 



called to the other to come and have a game. 

 Their gambols over, they probably floated down- 

 stream to a distant hover, and I returned to the 

 hotel — to dream of landing a silvery otter on a 

 ten-foot split-cane rod. 



This was my introduction to Lutra vulgaris, 

 and since I have found him to be one of the most 

 fascinating of animals. 



The habits of the otter have always been a 

 source of interest to both the naturalist and the 

 sportsman, and in consequence, notwithstand- 

 ing his nocturnal habits, we have considerable 

 knowledge of his ways. 



A litter of otter generally consists of two to 

 four cubs; sometimes there are five, and a litter 

 of six was once found on the banks of the Moselle 

 on July 26th, 1911.* The usual number, how- 

 ever, is three. 



The young are generally found in the hollow 

 of a tree down by the water's edge or in a hole 

 among the roots, but a cleft in the rocks, a 

 hollow in a bank, a sheltered nook on a wild 

 bog, or a well-concealed spot in an osier bed may 

 be the place selected by the mother in which to 

 rear her offspring. The nest itself is prepared 



•Report of Lorraine Fishery Association. 



